Ont. man fined $100K for violating lake trout habitat protection rules
A stock photo of an Ontario lakefront cottage with a Canadian flag. (File photo/Arpad Benedek/iStockPhoto)
A northern Ontario man has been fined $100,000 for failing to comply with a work permit in an area designated to protect lake trout habitat.
Robert Platford of Clearwater Bay, near the Manitoba border, pleaded guilty to violating the terms of an approved permit under the Public Lands Act, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced in a court bulletin on Friday.
The charges stemmed from construction activity in an area covered by a restricted area order, which limits development to preserve natural resources, including fisheries and wetlands.
Platford built a cottage in May 2020 under a work permit but failed to remove his old cottage as required. As a result, he exceeded the 20 per cent development limit set by Clearwater Bay Development Guidelines.
The older structure has since been dismantled.
'The Ontario government is safeguarding lake trout populations by ensuring their habitats are not overdeveloped,' the ministry said in the bulletin.
'Restricted area orders mandate permits for construction on both public and private lands to prevent ecological harm.'
Justice J. A. Bernard Caron presided over the case remotely in Kenora's Ontario Court of Justice on Jan. 20.
Anyone with any information that could assist conservation officers in their investigation is asked to contact the MNR tip line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
For more information about unsolved cases, click here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
17 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Not about whipped votes': Edmonton mayoral candidate sees benefits in party politics at municipal level
Edmonton Mayoral Candidate, Tim Cartmell, discusses his campaign and the launch of the Better Edmonton party with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins.
CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Three hospitalized following string of stabbings in Winnipeg: police
Winnipeg police on scene in the area of Portage Avenue and Vaughan Street on June 5, 2025. (Tim Salzen/CTV News) Several people have been arrested, and three people were sent to the hospital following a string of unrelated violent crimes in Winnipeg on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The first incident took place around 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday when a man in his 20s was robbed and stabbed by an unknown assailant near Dakota/Abinoji Mikanah. The suspect fled the scene and has not been arrested, while the victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The action continued at 7 p.m. when a man in his 40s, who was cutting grass in the 500 block of Henderson Highway, was robbed of his sunglasses and attacked with a machete. A nearby off-duty officer intervened, called for backup, and chased after the suspect, who had fled on his bike. East district officers and the tactical support team eventually stopped and took the suspect—a 28-year-old man—into custody. The third incident began around 7:20 p.m. when Winnipeg officers conducted a traffic stop at Cambridge Street and Yale Avenue as part of a gun investigation. Police seized crack cocaine and a loaded Glock handgun and arrested several people. The crimes continued at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. At this time, police responded to a stabbing in the 300 block of McKelvey Street that took place during a 'group confrontation.' The group left the scene before officers arrived, and the victim was taken to the hospital. No arrests have been made. The final incident took place at 3 a.m. on Thursday when officers were notified of a stabbing in the area of Portage Avenue and Vaughan Street. The victim—a man in his 40s—was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No arrests have been made, and police continue to investigate. Anyone with information on any of these incidents is asked to call police at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.
CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Justice department cutting up to 264 jobs as it faces ‘budgetary pressures'
The Canadian flag flies on the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill as pedestrians make their way along Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa on Nov. 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — The federal department of justice is set to lay off up to 264 employees as it navigates what it calls 'significant budgetary pressures.' Ian McLeod, a spokesperson for the department, says in an email that the department is taking 'difficult but necessary' steps to manage available resources, given ongoing budget pressures that 'can no longer be sustained.' He says 264 positions in the department 'may no longer be required' and that the employees in those roles were notified this week. McLeod says the department has implemented 'several measures' aimed at addressing budgetary pressures over the past year, including staffing restrictions. The number of federal public service jobs dropped by almost 10,000 in the last year, marking the first decrease since 2015. As of March 31, 357,965 people were working for the Government of Canada, down from 367,772 in 2024. Between 2024 and 2025, the justice department lost 29 workers, going from 5,637 to 5,608 employees. Hundreds of workers in other federal organizations — like the Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — also have been laid off recently. Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to cap, not cut, the federal public service. He also has promised to launch a 'comprehensive' review of government spending with the aim of increasing its productivity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2026. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
